Data Nuggets are free scientific and data literacy activities, designed to bring authentic research and data into the classroom. They are developed through partnership between scientists and teachers.
Each Data Nuggets activity features an authentic dataset from real research, along with the story and the people behind the data. They are an effective way to bring more data and research into the K-12 and undergraduate classroom.
Research into the efficacy of Data Nuggets has shown they increase student interest in STEM careers, their confidence in working with data, and their ability to use data to support evidence-based claims. Students using Data Nuggets spend twice the classroom time engaged in the practices of science compared to business as usual instruction. The scientists featured in Data Nuggets serve as role models for students, and accompanying profiles increase student ability to relate to scientists.
The goals of the Data Nuggets program are to (1) help scientists increase the broader impacts of their research by sharing their science story and data with the public, and (2) to engage students in the practices of science through an innovative approach that combines scientific content from authentic research with key concepts in quantitative reasoning, (3) and to support innovative teachers through professional development in data literacy and the practice of science.
Content Levels and Graph Types:
Because of their simplicity and flexibility, Data Nuggets can be used throughout the school year as students build confidence in their quantitative skills. Reading and graphing levels allow for differentiated learning for students with any science background.
Data Nugget activities are ranked from 1-4 according to the reading, vocabulary, and content level of the background information provided to students. Readability for each activity is determined using the Flesch–Kincaid Reading Grade Level, which calculates how difficult a reading passage in English is to understand. Content level is determined by aligning each activity with science standards and discussions with our advisor panel of K-12 teachers. Activities of the highest level (4) are probably inappropriate for younger students, but level 1 activities are still appropriate to use with higher-level students if the quantitative skills they teach are relevant.
Each Data Nugget comes with three student versions, based on the type of graphing skills required. Type A activities provide the graph for the students (allowing a focus on graph interpretation, making claims based on evidence, and explaining reasoning), Type B activities provide axis labels but requires students to graph the data, and Type C provides an unlabeled grid on which to draw a graph.
For an introduction to Data Nuggets, check out our 2015 publication in The American Biology Teacher.